I don't remember my mother cooking with fresh herbs when I was a kid, but I do vividly remember my Grandmother Denny having a sage plant by her back door. This year I have a huge amount of sage in my garden, so I've been trying to come up with new ways to use it. When I posted the recipe for Sage-Pecan Pesto, I mentioned I might try the pesto in stuffed chicken breasts, so that led to this recipe. I thought about using goat cheese with the pesto, but on impulse I reached for the feta, and I loved the way this turned out. If you like sage and have enough to make pesto, be sure to try this recipe.

This chicken does need a bit of attention while it's baking. If you keep it in the oven until it's as brown as the photo shows, you'll be overcooking it and the chicken will be dry. My chicken did get nicely browned on the bottom where it was touching the hot pan, but the top still looked pretty pale when the chicken was done. You should stop baking the chicken as soon as it feels barely firm (about 40 minutes) and then use the broiler for a few minutes if you want to brown the top more.

Trim all fat and tendons from chicken breasts, then put inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is only about 1/4 inch thick.

Mix pesto and crumbled Feta, and divide evenly among the four chicken breasts, then use a spoon to spread the mixture over the chicken.

Roll up chicken breasts, starting with the smallest end, and secure with two toothpicks to keep it together while it bakes.

The traditional method of creating a crust on meat involves dipping it in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. I used that method for Chicken Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Basil, and Goat Cheese. This time I wanted to avoid using flour or breadcrumbs so I used egg and a mixture of almond meal and parmesan to coat the chicken.

Bake chicken at 350F for about 40 minutes, or until chicken feels firm, but not hard, to the touch. If desired, you can brown the top under the broiler for a few minutes. Don't overcook or the chicken will be dry.

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a flat roasting pan with olive oil or nonstick spray. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts, then put each chicken piece inside heavy plastic bag and pound with meal mallet until the chicken is 1/4 inch thick. (Don't worry if there are some ragged edges, you can tuck them in.) Lay chicken skin side down on cutting board.

Put crumbled Feta and pesto in a small bowl and mix together with a fork. Divide pesto mixture evenly among four chicken breasts, then use a spoon to spread it over the chicken, not going completely to the edge or the stuffing will leak out. Roll up each chicken breast, starting with the smallest end and tucking in any ragged edges, then secure each piece with two toothpicks.

Put beaten egg in one bowl and combine almond meal and parmesan in another. Dip each chicken piece first in egg, then in almond/parmesan mixture, turning over several times so chicken is well-coated.

Place chicken pieces in baking pan and cook until chicken feels firm but not hard to the touch (about 40 minutes, but start checking a little sooner.) If desired, put chicken under the broiler for 3-4 minutes to brown the top. (I did broil the top a bit.) Serve hot.

With the coating of almond meal and parmesan cheese, this chicken is suitable for any phase of the South Beach Diet or any other type of low-glycemic eating plan, but this should probably be a "once in a while treat" for South Beach, due to the fat content in the pesto, almond meal, parmesan, and feta. I would serve it with a vegetable on the side such as Sauteed Broccoli Rabe or Garlic Roasted Green Beans.

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23 comments:

I love the possibilities and flexibility of this recipe -- change the pesto, the cheese, the crumbs (panko is calling to me), and it will still come out delicious. I have lots of sage in my garden this year, too, so I'll have to try your pesto recipe.

Wow, thanks for the idea of almond meal and parmesan for a breadcrumb-like effect without so much simple carbs. I have always been drawn to try this style of baking but always held back. I'm so thrilled to find this alternative.

Looks good! I did something similar with the filling from We Are Never Full's stuffed artichokes:http://www.weareneverfull.com/trying-hard-to-think-spring-parsley-garlic-and-parmigiano-stuffed-artichokes/

It was delicious but I did overcook the chicken. It's tough to get it right.

Kalyn, you've always had my tast buds, and now you have my heart. Being gluten intolerant and, as you know, having sage pesto in my freezer, all I need are the nuts for the crust. I rarely praise a recipe before trying it, but this is an exception. Thank you.

I made this tonight and it was really delicious! I have a huge sage bush in my herb garden and I'm never quite sure what to do with it beyond the occasional few leaves here and there in a recipe. When I tasted the pesto raw, I was worried it was a bit strong for my kids, but after it cooked with the feta and chicken, it was just awesome. I used breadcrumbs to coat the chicken and a bit less parm in the pesto. Thanks again for another winner Kalyn!

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